Escapades of the Heart
by amatsu-hime
Summary: Having someone save your life during the war is great and all. However, Aoshi realizes that when they come back and ask you to babysit their not-so-young daughter and her cousin, things aren't always what they've cracked up to be. A/M K/K and S/M


Okina stared his long time friend slash war buddy in the eye, "We have a special bond, don't we?"

Aoshi Shinomori continued to watch his unexpected house guest beat around the bush. He gave a slight inclination of his head as an answer to the question, as they did have a special bond. A bond that is shared between victim and savior, and he had been the victim in this bond. A one-time experience he never wished to repeat.

"Good!" Okina said while nodding his head in approval. To what, Aoshi feared to even speculate. "I need a favor."

This was not unexpected. As a person who saved his life, legally, he could have required his life. The question wasn't 'did he want something' but 'what did he want.' Waiting in silence, which was Aoshi's normal pattern, he stared at his visitor obviously expecting him to elaborate without any help.

"There is this small problem I need to deal with," Okina finally said. "As you may or may not have heard, my wife recently passed on leaving me with my unwed daughter and niece to care for. However, with the passing of my wife, all of my lands, or her lands as the case may have been, have reverted back to her family. They never did like me much, and I am going out of town for a while to see what I can do about this situation. My little Mi-chan and Kao-chan won't be any trouble. If they can stay with you for a while I am sure that they will stay out of the way. You won't even know they're here."

Aoshi's right eye twitched. Okina wanted him to WHAT!?! To babysit to little girls until some unknown time! How could he be so ridiculous? How was he supposed to get out of this? He owed the man his life. As odd as the request was, it wasn't unreasonable considering what could be required of him. Well, it couldn't be that bad. He owned a large house with a large estate, they wouldn't be under foot. He could do this. He would do this.

After thinking about it, he asked, "Who will be caring for them? I have no one here qualified. Will you send someone with them?"

"Oh yes! Of course! I will send their current instructor with them. Her name is Megumi," Okina said. There was a definite look of relief in his eyes. Was Aoshi the last person that he had tried? It seemed likely. It was an insignificant favor at best for what he owed the man. But, once it was completed, his debt of honor would be repaid and he would owe to no man.

"When will they be here?" Aoshi asked the man sitting in front of him with a silly grin on his face.

"I will tell them to be here in about a week. Is that enough time?" Okina asked.

A part of Aoshi believed that they had already been instructed to come here. What would the man have done if he had refused his debt of honor? It was of no consequence now, so why worry about it.

"My little Misao, Kaoru, and Megumi are going to be fine. They will take care of themselves and be no trouble to you! I guarantee it. Thank you for taking them while I try and sort this out." Aoshi couldn't say anything, so he just nodded.

As his guest stood to leave, he stood to escort him to the door. He wasn't unhappy to see him go, not after that request anyway. Who wanted to give board to two little girls and a nursemaid in their home? As his guest left, he turned to his butler, Katsuhiro, and said, "Have the east wing prepared for two girls and their nursemaid. Have their rooms and a school room set up for them."

"Yes sir," he said, "How old are the girls so I can send Tae out for their supplies."

Aoshi looked shocked for a few moments before saying, "I'm not sure. He didn't tell me and I didn't think to ask. It doesn't matter, just have the proper supplies for two girls brought here."

***

Katsu watched as his boss had gotten ready for the night. His personal assistant, Sanosuke Sagara, had come over earlier to discuss some problems that had been going on at the estate further away from the city only to be put off until the next day. Tonight, his boss was taking a break, and that was final. So, instead of leaving, his assistant had decided to 'hang around' as he put it.

"What's all the fuss about tonight anyway?" Sanosuke asked the butler.

"Tonight is the ball at the widow's, Duchess Omasu Tatewaki, estate," Katsu told the tall business man.

"I wonder what all the fuss is about. He never makes a big deal about a ball," Sanosuke said more to himself than to the butler.

However, Katsu was a man who knew everything, and he decided to fill in his childhood buddy on this secret. "Her niece, Lady Akane Tatewaki is in town, and he is trying to make a bid for her."

"Oh," Sanosuke said, his business mind picking up the advantages to having that type of a connection with the Tatewaki family. "Well," he said turning towards the man that he had watched form from a boy, "I'm out of here. I guess I'll be seeing you around!"

Katsu showed him to the door and said, "It was good to see you Sanosuke. I'm sorry that you didn't get to talk to him about what you needed, maybe next time."

"Later," Sanosuke said walking down the front steps and accepting his horse that had been brought from the stables at Katsu's command just a few minutes before.

A half an hour later, it brought forth a completely prepared Shinomori Aoshi. Katsu helped him with his trench coat as he prepared to leave since the night was chilly. As Aoshi opened the door, however, there was a surprise waiting for him on the doorstep.

There stood three women in long hooded coats of different colors. The one in the center a step or two closer to the door with her hand in the air as if to knock on the door. If she had continued with the obvious motion that she had been prepared to take, she might have hit him on the head. Some part of his brain, that part the never missed a detail, registered that her hand was perfectly manicured and bespoke a good household.

Shocked silence remained until the one in the middle spoke, with an obviously authoritarian air, "Is this the Shinomori residence?"

Shaking off the shock, Aoshi answered, "It is, what can I do for you?"

He could have sworn that he heard one of the two in the back whisper, "finally," but he was unsure. The woman in front of him was not distracted by it. "Good, we have tried two other houses already. I swear that Okina is never good with addresses."

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Aoshi examined her and said, "You can't be the nursemaid along with the two girls that I am to board for a few months!"

"We are," one of the two in the back said while taking off her hood with a smile. The other one copied her actions. "I am Misao Makimachi; this is my cousin, Kaoru Kamiya, and our 'nursemaid' Megumi Takani." She giggled slightly at the word 'nursemaid.'

A side glare from the aforementioned nursemaid put a quick stop the giggles and the three ladies watched the man in front of them. The one that had been quiet up till then was wondering exactly why they were being kept out on the door step, but decided against saying anything.

A moment later, he said, "I was under the impression that you two would be children, not women."

Misao smiled, and said with a bit of a thoughtful look, "Well, the last time that he saw us, we were children. It has been many years since my father actually paid attention to us."

A shocked look crossed Aoshi's face, only to be quickly replaced by an unemotional mask. Katsu chose this time to clear his throat and say, "Perhaps it would be more comfortable to speak with the ladies in the drawing room, or in the office."

Realizing his complete rudeness in forcing them to stand in the chilly air, Aoshi quickly invited them in. Inside, he released a small groan at the fact that he would more than likely miss the ball this evening. There was no way they would permit him once dinner was served.

"Please follow me," Aoshi said as he led the way to the parlor.

It was a comfortably decorated room with perfectly spaced seating for a large group or a one on one get together. The couches were of a light material with a wood trim and wooden legs elegantly carved. The three women seated themselves and waited for their host to speak.

"As I mentioned before, I was led to believe that you were children. Being adults, it would be completely inappropriate for you to stay here. There is nothing else that can be done. You must return to your own home or find other arrangements."

Kaoru finally decided that she needed to speak up. It was all fine and dandy for him to say this, but for them to do it was another thing completely. Misao could return to her mother's family, but she could not. They had all but ordered her to leave and not to return. "I am sorry, sir, that you were not properly informed of all the facts relating to this situation. If you would allow me to explain it more fully to you, perhaps you would be more willing to let us stay."

"Kaoru, right?" at her nod, he continued, "You are correct in saying that I was not fully informed, as it is, I was not informed at all. Please, elaborate so that I may understand why he asked for you to stay here."

Taking a deep breath, Kaoru began telling the events in her life that had lead her to this place at this time. "I was born to his lordship, Koshijirou Kamiya, I was his only daughter. My mother, God rest her soul, did not survive my birth. My father loved me and cared for me until the day that he passed on due to a coughing sickness." Aoshi nodded. He remembered when the war hero had died. Some part of his brain also recollected that he had left his only daughter at the age of eleven. "Uncle Okina, my mother's brother, took me in because none of my father's family wanted to deal with me. I was more than grateful to have a roof over my head, but better yet, he treated me as his daughter. Misao and I have become great friends.

'When her mother died a few weeks ago, her family came back and took over the household. Nothing was ours anymore, it was all theirs. A day before the letter from Okina arrived, I had been told to pack my bags and get out. I was given a week to find other accommodations. They said that they wouldn't house the spawn of his family. Misao's only redeeming quality was that she was the daughter of their relative. When we received Okina's letter, it was like a godsend. I had somewhere to go. Misao hadn't needed to come, but she wouldn't be parted from me. For that, she has been shunned by her family."

Before Aoshi could respond to her story, Misao piped up and said, "Also, you don't need to worry about the inappropriateness of the situation. Neither Kaoru nor I wish to go out into society, so it will be of little consequence. It would likely be that no one ever finds out that we are here in the first place."

Sighing in defeat, and silently admitting that the daughter and the cousin were better at manipulation than Okina, Aoshi turned to Katsu, who had followed them into the parlor, and said, "Please show the ladies to their rooms."

"Yes sir," Katsu said while hiding his smile. He knew that Lord Shinomori was a push over. "I will also take the liberty in having the school room updated to the ladies' proper ages."

"Please do," Aoshi said while turning to leave the room. "I will be at my club all night, please lock up for me."

"Yes sir," Katsu said as he turned to leave.

The ladies watched in silence, and once they were alone, Megumi said, "Well, that could have gone better. What did Okina tell that man anyway? It sounds like he knew nothing more than to expect two children and a nursemaid."

Misao giggled again at the notion of Megumi being a nursemaid. Megumi turned to her charge and glared, "I do believe that is inappropriate behavior in one such as you. Please conduct yourself properly, we are not home!"

"Father said that this would be our home for a while," was her response. "I am not going to be sitting on pins and needles because you are not comfortable here. Get over it!"

Kaoru stifled a giggle, but not before Megumi noticed, "And you, don't think I didn't realize what you were doing there. The big pity party about how you had nowhere to stay! You knew very well that Misao would have forced them to let you stay and there was nothing they could have done about it!"

"Yes," Kaoru said, "but who wants to stay there when we could be living in the same house as Lord Shinomori?"

Misao fanned herself, "Oh yes, it is much more preferable to live here rather than back home with all those stiff collared fools! This is going to be fun!"

To be continued………………………………….

I hope that everyone enjoyed this chapter. I had this story stuck in my head and I couldn't get it out. I even know how it's gonna end. I just hope that I don't forget before I get there!

I wonder how many of you caught an anime reference completely unrelated to Kenshin, if you did, let me know!

CIAO


End file.
